Here’s a DIY project that anyone can do. Give those cement bricks a new life by recycling them into flower pots. It’s easy and inexpensive. If you don’t have any laying around you can buy them for around $1.75-$2. each. Every year I always use annuals because I like to experiment with different varieties. This year is my favorite combination. Fibrous Begonia and Celosia.

This is my fourth year using these bricks. For a step-by-step tutorial click here. Feel free to check out the previous years here and here.

Here’s a few additional tips that I discovered along the way to save you some time.

Right before the snow arrives, pull out the dead plants from the bricks. No need to cover them or change the dirt from season to season. Just let them sit as is.

Use a tarp. It saves on cleanup time.

If you have dogs, keep them away from the bricks. My three loved to “mark” one brick in particular. So much that their urine was trapped in between the spaces of the bricks. Gross right? I ended up switching out that one.

Don’t worry about the excess dirt. As it rains it’ll wash away.

Easy right?

I had four leftover plants from the flats I purchased for this project. I’ll share another easy project tomorrow on what I did with those.

Are you looking for an easy DIY project to celebrate Fall? Do you enjoy gardening? Then keep reading.

The weather here in the Midwest has been absolutely gorgeous! So, I’ve been using my time wisely outdoors splitting and transplanting plants around my yard.

I have these cement bricks lined up along the edge of the sidewalk in an effort to prevent my dogs from jumping off the ledge. I usually plant a spring flower in them, but this year I didn’t. Truthfully, they’ve sat empty for a couple of years. The last time I used them was here.

This week I decided to plant some mums in them. Perfect for Fall and you can’t go wrong with mums. Instead of buying additional dirt, I recycled some from a planter that was no longer in use.

I lined up where I wanted each plant to go.

Using a garden trowel, I loosened the dirt that was left in the bricks. After placing the mum in each spot I added some additional dirt as needed. Tip: Give them a good drink of water when your done.

I LOVE HOW THEY TURNED OUT!

The boys watched from start to finish. I guess you could say this is there smile of approval.

On last week’s garden post, I shared a few tips and ideas that were used with this year’s garden. If you missed that post click here. I’m happy to report everything is doing awesome! Please excuse the color variation from photo to photo. They were captured with different cameras throughout the days of documenting the garden’s progress.

Patiently waiting for crops.

Once the plants started to grow, cages were placed around them. As you can see the tomato plant on the left has a stick in the center of it. It was growing way to big for a cage, but needed some additional support. Actually, it was an old broom stick I had in the garage that wasn’t being used. (recycling tip)

After the cages are in place keep an eye on the plants. You’ll want to make sure as it grows to keep the leaves on the outside of the cage.

The tomato plant continues to grow. As you can see in this photo the first support stick is invisible, so a second one was positioned according to what branches were the heaviest. Then I cut up a t-shirt (recycling tip) into strips to be used as a rope. You want to use a cotton t-shirt that way it’s soft against the stems. A robe may cause it to break.

Keep an eye on the straw in the garden. If the newspaper starts to show through, add another layer. The birds are having a blast stealing pieces to build their nests with. I don’t mind sharing with the condition that they stay away from the vegetables.

This has been the biggest tomato plant ever. Perhaps it’s because I opted not to place a cage around it. The photo shows another support stick, but at present time there are three sticks supporting its branches. Lots of tomatoes!

My favorite part of the garden is the recycled pallets. The leafy vegetables are doing well in them. Snipping off what I want and more comes in right away.

The collard greens have their own section in the garden. Adding the strip of straw down the center has proven successful. No weeds anywhere! And it makes a nice walkway in between the plants.

Welcome to my new series titled, Five Friday Favorites! I decided to give my previous Top 10 List a makeover and this is what I came up with. Same concept, with a few changes.

Everyday while surfing the web I come across so many things that entertain, inspire, and educate me. So, I’m choosing five of those to share with you here. Enjoy!

Have you ever heard of free lensing? Here’s a tutorial that’ll inspire you to pull out the camera this weekend. I’ll be giving it a try. {Photo credit: Digital Camera World}

My next project! How cool is this handmade chipboard album? {Photo credit: A Beautiful Mess}

Being an entrepreneur isn’t easy. Especially if you wear all the hats like I do. Have you ever picked up a copy of Entrepreneur? It’s one of my favorite business magazines. Check out this article they recently shared on their Facebook page where they give you 14 tools to help you manage your social media. {Photo credit: Entrepreneur.com}

I have two tires to recycle in the yard this year. This is one option I’m considering. {Photo credit: casa-atelier.com}

The funniest video I came across this past week. {Shared from YouTube}

Welcome to my new series titled, Five Friday Favorites! I decided to give my previous Top 10 List a makeover and this is what I came up with. Same concept, with a few changes.

Everyday while surfing the web I come across so many things that entertain, inspire, and educate me. So, I’m choosing five of those to share with you here. Enjoy!

P.S. The image above is where the idea to post five came from. I pass these trees several times throughout my weekly travels. I have a serious obsession with trees. The first step is admitting you have a problem, right?